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Vorpal Hexapod Activity: Hexapod Musician

From Vorpal Robotics Wiki

In this activity you will write a Scratch program to play an instrument.

Required Items

  • An inexpensive musical instrument such as:
    • Children's Xylophone or Glockenspiel
    • Inexpensive children's keyboard
    • Bottles or glasses with different amounts of water in them, as long as you can keep them stable on the desk or floor!
  • For items like Xylophones or water glasses, something to strike with, such as a mallet or stick.
  • Tape to secure the mallet or stick to Vorpal's leg, or secure instruments to the surface so they don't move.

Activity Procedure

  • Tape the striking mallet or stick (if necessary for your instrument) to one of Vorpal's front legs
  • Position Vorpal in a known spot in front of the instrument. Mark the surface with little bits of tape to indicate where the legs should start.
  • Using Scratch, program leg motions to play the instrument. At first just see what you need to do to strike individual notes.
  • The teacher may suggest a tune to play, like "Happy Birthday" or "Mary Had a Little Lamb".

Hints

  • First find the angles to hit individual notes, write those down. Then string them together to make a tune!
  • Keep most of the legs on the ground at all times so Vorpal doesn't shift with respect to the instrument.

Vorpal Hexapod Quick Links:

Variations

  • Try having several Vorpal Hexapods form a band! One could keep beat on a drum, another could play the Xylophone, yet another a keyboard instrument.